Rules of Snooker:

Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white cue ball, 15 red balls worth one point each (sometimes played with fewer red balls, commonly 6 or 10), and six balls of different colours: yellow (2 points), green (3), brown (4), blue (5), pink (6), black (7). A player (or team) wins a frame (individual game) of snooker by scoring more points than the opponent(s), using the cue ball to pot the red and coloured balls. A player (or team) wins a match when they have achieved the best-of score from a pre-determined number of frames. The number of frames is always odd so as to prevent a tie.

The balls:

Snooker balls, like the balls for all cue sports, are typically made of phenolic resin, but are smaller than pool balls. Regulation snooker balls (which are specified in metric units) are nominally 52.5 mm (approximately 2 1⁄15 inches) in diameter, though many sets are actually manufactured at 52.4 mm (about 2 1⁄16 in.) No weight for the balls is specified in the rules, only that the weight of any two balls should not differ by more than 0.5g. Some recreational sets (which are usually not measured metrically) are 2 1⁄8 in. (about 54 mm) up to as large as pool balls, at 2 1⁄4 in. (about 57.2 mm); larger ball size requires wider pocket openings. Miniature sets also exist, for half-size home tables. There are fifteen red balls, six “colour” balls (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and black), and one white cue ball. Usually none of the balls are numbered, though the six colour balls often are in the US, where they are easily mistaken at first glance for pool balls (the design is similar, but the numbering does not match pool’s scheme).

At the beginning of a frame, the balls are set up in the arrangement shown in the illustration. The six colours (a term referring to all balls except the white and the reds) are placed on their own spots. On the baulk line, looking up the table from the baulk end, the green ball is located where the “D” meets the line on the left, the brown ball in the middle of the line, and the yellow ball where the “D” meets the line on the right. This order is often remembered using the mnemonic God Bless You, the first letter of each word being the first letter of the three colours (Green, Brown, Yellow). At the exact centre of the table sits the blue ball. Further up the table is the pink ball, which sits midway between the blue spot and the top cushion, followed by the red balls, arranged in a tightly-packed triangle behind the pink (the apex must be as close as possible to the pink ball without touching it). Finally, the black ball is placed on a spot 32.5 cm (12.8 in) from the top cushion.

The Table:

Snooker is played on a rectangular snooker table with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. The table usually has a slate base, covered in green baize. At one end of the table (the baulk end) is the baulk line, which is 29 inches (74 cm) from the baulk cushion (the short cushion at the baulk end). A semicircle of radius 11 1⁄2 inches (29 cm), called the D, is drawn behind this line, centred on the middle of the line. The cushion at the other end of the table is known as the top cushion.

A regulation (full-size) table is 12 ft × 6 ft (3.7 m × 1.8 m); because of the large size of these tables, smaller tables are common in homes, pubs and other places where space is limited. These are often around 6 feet (1.8 m) in length, with all the dimensions and markings scaled down accordingly. The balls used are sometimes also scaled down, and/or reduced in number (in the case of the reds) by omitting the longest row of balls in the rack.

Objective:

The objective of the game of snooker is to strike the white cue ball with a cue in the direction of other object balls and to pot these object balls in one of the six pockets. This must be done according to the rules of the game, described below. By potting object balls points can be scored. The player who scores most points wins the frame, and the player who wins most frames wins the match.

Match:

A match usually consists of a fixed, odd number of frames. A frame begins with setting up the balls as described above. A frame ends when all balls are potted, or when one of the players concedes defeat because he is too far behind in score to equal or beat the score of the other player.

A match ends when one of the players has won the majority of the set number of frames and the other player can therefore not equal this. For example, when a match consists of 19 frames, the match ends when one of the players has reached 10 frames.

Gameplay:

At the beginning of each frame the balls are set up by the referee as explained. This will be followed by a break-off shot, on which the players take turns. At the break-off, the white cue ball can be placed anywhere inside the D, although it is common for players to start by placing the ball on the line, between the brown ball and either the green or yellow ball.

Players take turns in visiting the table. When one player is at the table, the other cannot play. A break is the number of points scored by a player in one single visit to the table. A player’s turn and break end when he fails to pot a ball, when he does something against the rules of the game, which is called a foul, or when a frame has ended.

The ball or balls that can be hit first by the white are called the ball(s) “on” for that particular stroke. The ball(s) “on” differ from shot to shot: a red ball, if potted, must be followed by a colour, a potted colour must be followed by a red, and so on until a break ends; if a red is not potted, any red ball remains the ball “on”. Only a ball or balls “on” may be potted legally by a player. If a ball not “on” is potted, this is a foul.

If the cue ball is touching another ball which is on or could be on, the referee shall state that the ball is a “touching ball”, whereupon the striker must “play away” from the ball without moving it, and—because the touching ball is deemed to be the object ball—without being required to hit another ball. If the object ball moves, it is considered a “push shot” and a foul shall be called. No penalty is incurred for playing away if (1) the ball is on; (2) the ball could be on and the striker nominates such ball; or (3) the ball could be on and the striker nominates, and first hits, another ball that could be on. If the cue ball is touching another ball which could not be on, it isn’t called a touching ball, and the striker must play away from it and hit a legally nominated object ball. Where the cue ball is touching several object balls simultaneously, the referee shall state “Touching ball” for each and every such object ball, and indicate to the player which object balls he is referring to. The rules for each individual touching ball then apply simultaneously.

If a ball is potted when a foul is made, depending on the situation, the potted ball will either stay off the table, or be spotted on its initial spot or it will—along with any and all balls that were moved during the foul shot—be repositioned to where it/they lay before the shot. For details on such situations, see Fouls and Miss below.

The game of snooker generally consists of two phases. The first phase is the situation in which there are still red balls on the table. In the first phase, at the beginning of a player’s turn, the balls “on” are all remaining red balls. The player must therefore attempt to first hit and pot one or more red balls. For every red ball potted, the player will receive 1 point. When a red has been potted, it will stay off the table and the player can continue the break. If no red has been potted or a foul has been made, the other player will come into play.

In case one or more red balls have been potted, the player can continue the break. This time one of the six colours (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black) is the ball “on”. Only one of these can be the ball “on” and the rules of the game state that a player must nominate the desired colour to the referee, although it is usually clear which ball the striker is playing and it is not necessary to nominate.

When the nominated colour is potted, the player will be awarded the correct number of points (yellow, 2; green, 3; brown, 4; blue, 5; pink, 6; black, 7). The colour is then taken out of the pocket by the referee and placed on its original spot. If that spot is covered by another ball, the ball is placed on the highest available spot. If there is no available spot, it is placed as close to its own spot as possible in a direct line between that spot and the top cushion, without touching another ball. If there is no room this side of the spot, it will be placed as close to the spot as possible in a straight line towards the bottom cushion, without touching another ball.

Because only one of the colours is the ball “on”, it is a foul to first hit multiple colours at the same time, or pot more than one colour (unless a free ball has been awarded, see below).

After the nominated colour is potted, the red balls are “on” again.

If a player fails to pot a ball “on”, it being a red or nominated colour, the other player will come into play and the balls “on” are always the reds, as long as there are still reds on the table.

The alternation between red balls and colours ends when all reds have been potted and a colour is potted after the last red, or a failed attempt to do so is made. All six colours have then to be potted in ascending order of their points value (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black). Each becomes the ball “on” in that order. During this phase, when potted, the colours stay down and are not replaced on the table, unless a foul is made when potting the colour, in which case the colour is respotted.

When the colours have been potted, the frame is over and the player who has scored most points has won it (but see below for end-of-frame scenarios).

Fouls:

A foul is a shot or action by the striker which is against the rules of the game.

When a foul is made during a shot, the player’s turn is ended and he will receive no points for the foul shot. The other player will receive penalty points.

Common fouls are:

failing to hit any other ball with the cue ball
first hitting a ball “not-on” with the cue ball
potting a ball “not-on”
potting the white (in-off)
hitting a ball other than the white with the cue
making a ball land off the table
touching the cue ball with anything other than the tip of the cue (except while positioning the cue ball “in-hand”; while “in-hand” the cue ball may be touched by anything except the tip of the cue)
playing a “push shot” – a shot where the cue ball is in simultaneous contact with the cue tip and another ball (except when playing the cue ball away from a “touching ball”; for this purpose a “touching ball” may refer to any ball, “on” or not.)
playing a “jump shot” – a shot where the cue ball leaves the bed of the table and jumps over a ball before first hitting another ball
playing a shot with both feet off the ground.
It is sometimes erroneously believed that if two balls are potted in one shot it is a foul. However, when the reds are “on”, multiple reds can be potted and this is not a foul: the player scores 1 point per red.

Should a cue ball be touched with the tip while “in-hand”, i.e. when breaking-off or playing from the “D” after being potted, a foul is not committed as long as the referee is satisfied that the player was only positioning the ball, and not playing, or preparing to play, a shot.

When a foul is made, the non-fouling player will receive penalty points equal to the value of the ball “on”, or the value of any of the “foul” balls, or 4 points, whichever is highest. When multiple fouls are made in one shot, only the most highly valued foul is counted. Penalty points are therefore at least 4 points and at most 7.

Not hitting the ball “on” first is the most common foul. A player can make life difficult for his opponent by making sure he cannot hit a ball “on” directly. This is most commonly called “snookering” one’s opponent or alternatively “laying a snooker” or putting the other player “in a snooker”.

Because players receive points for fouls by their opponents, snookering one’s opponent a number of times in a row is a possible way of winning a frame when potting all the balls on the table would be insufficient to ensure a win.

If a player commits a foul, and the opponent considers that the position left is unattractive, he may request that the offender play again from the resulting position.

Free ball:

A free ball is a player-nominated substitute for the ball on when the player is snookered by a foul. This is because the snooker in this case is produced by a foul and thus not considered legitimate. As such the player is allowed to pick any ball as a free ball, which is then effectively treated as the ball on, thereby voiding the illegitimate snooker. Once the free ball shot is taken legally, the game continues normally (although, if the offending player was asked to play the shot again, then the free ball is void, having to resolve the self-inflicted snooker).

For example, as illustrated in the provided picture, if the ball on is the final red, but is snookered by the black due to a foul, the player will be able to name the blue as the free ball. He could then pot the blue as if it were a red for one point. The blue will then be respotted, a nominated colour ball will be on, and normal play will resume.

Note that, as a natural corollary of the rules, the free ball is always a colour ball. If the ball on is a red, then by definition it cannot be snookered via another red, as it merely provides an alternative clean shot with another ball on. If the ball on is a red, and is snookered by a colour after a foul, then logically the red is either the final one or all reds are snookered by a colour ball, meaning the free ball has to be a colour. If the ball on is a colour ball that is snookered by a red, a previous red must have been successfully potted; the snooker therefore must be self-inflicted and cannot have occurred as the result of a foul. If the ball on is a colour that is snookered by another colour after a foul, all reds must have been already potted; thus the free ball still has to be a colour ball.

Interesting situations could occur if somehow both the free ball and the real ball on are potted. If a colour was the ball on (all reds were potted), and both the free ball and the actual ball on are potted, only the ball on is scored. The free ball is respotted while the actual ball on will stay off the table. This is the only time when attempting to pot a colour that two balls can be potted without a foul occurring, because technically speaking both of the potted balls are on.

If the ball on is red and both the free ball and a real red are potted, then each ball potted is scored as a red for a total of two points. The colour free ball is then respotted and the red remains off the table. By the same logic, it is allowed to cannon a free ball onto a real red to pot the latter (a plant). Going back to the picture above, the player could nominate the black as the free ball, and proceed to plant the real red using the black free ball; if the player somehow potted them both, two points would be awarded and the black would be respotted.

Not potting the free ball incurs no penalty, so the striker may play a snooker using the free ball, gratis. However, if said snooker is achieved by having the free ball obstructing the ball on, then the strike is a foul and a penalty of the value of the ball on is awarded to the opponent. The reason is that the free ball was to be treated as the ball on, and one cannot snooker a ball on by another ball on (following the same logic that a red cannot snooker another red when red is on). The only exception to this is when there are only two balls remaining on the table, namely pink and black. If the opposition somehow fouled trying to pot pink, and illegitimately snookered the striker with the black, then it is fair for the striker to snooker the opposition “back” with the free black ball.

A free ball scenario does not occur when the ball gets stuck at the edge of a pocket jaw (commonly referred to as “angled’) in such a manner that the player is unable to hit any ball on. This is because according to the official snooker rules a ball is snookered only if its way is obstructed by balls not on. In this scenario, after a foul, the player may choose to either take the shot from the current position or ask the offender to play again, as per the usual rules on fouls.

Foul and a Miss:

A foul and a miss will be called if a player does not hit the ball “on” first (foul) and is deemed by the referee to have not made the best possible attempt (miss). In this case, the opponent has the option to request that all balls on the table to be returned to their position before the foul, and require the fouling player to take the shot again.

The rule was introduced to prevent players from playing professional fouls (i.e., deliberately fouling so as to leave the balls in a safe position, reducing the risk of giving a frame-winning chance to the opponent). Multiple misses often occur because players attempt to hit a shot very softly or thinly in situations where a fuller contact might leave their opponent an easy potting chance. This can lead to an apparently easy escape being attempted several times, as players feel that it is better to concede many points but leave a safe position, than concede none and leave a frame-winning chance.

Note that “best attempt” here has a couple of elements. Firstly, the shot selection must be the easiest to be achieved, so deliberately taking a difficult shot to foul tactically will be still liable to be called a miss. Secondly, sufficient strength must be put into the shot such that the cue ball can even reach the ball “on” (it’s possible for the referee not to call a miss if a striker would or did overshoot, but undershooting always results in a miss). Finally, the striker must try to hit the ball “on” as best as he can, getting the cue ball as near to the target as possible. All three of these elements must be present for a striker to be considered to have made a “best attempt”, and not just the third element.

There are three situations where a miss will not be called even if the striker failed to do a “best attempt”:

1)If either of the players is in need of penalty points to win the frame, or if either players would be in need of further penalty points to win the frame after the current penalty is applied, then a miss will never be called. This is to prevent the score difference from increasing indefinitely due to misses in worst-case scenarios.

2)If the points on the table are equal to the score difference, either before or after the penalty is applied, then a miss may not be called, should the referee believe that the foul was not on purpose. This can prevent the score difference from decreasing too much, at the discretion of the referee.

3)If it is physically impossible to play a legal shot, then it must be assumed that the striker is trying their best already, though the striker must still put sufficient strength in the stroke such that the cue ball would reach its target were it not due to the obstruction. This can happen if the cue ball was completely snookered – since jump shots are fouls in the first place, there is no other way this scenario could end.

A special case occurs after a striker fouls and misses in a non-snookered scenario — that is, when he fails to hit a ball “on” when there is a clear path to the ball or part of the ball. Should the opposition choose to have the offender play from the position prior to the missing stroke under this situation, then a further failure to provide a best attempt will be called foul and a miss regardless of score difference. A warning is issued, and a third failure will forfeit the frame to the opposition.

The end of a frame:

A frame normally ends in one of three ways:

A concession, when one player gives up due to being too far behind to have a realistic chance of winning the frame. Concession before the snookers-required stage may be interpreted as ungentlemanly conduct and result in a penalty of a second frame being applied.
The final black is potted legally (including after a respot), and this does not leave the score tied.
When the black is the only object ball remaining, and the striker leads by more than seven points, the striker may claim the win, but may also elect to proceed with potting the black, for example to complete a high-scoring break.
There are three less common ways to end a frame:

A foul on the black, when the black is the only ball left. It is sometimes wrongly assumed that play continues after a foul on the black if there are fewer than seven points between the scores. This is not the case: the player who is in the lead following the assessment of a penalty after a foul when only the black remains is the winner.
Failure to hit a ball “on” three times in a row, if the player has a clear sight of the ball. The referee will warn a player after a second such miss that a third miss will mean that the opponent will be awarded the frame. This rule does not apply if the player is snookered. As missing due to avoiding a direct shot on a ball is usually a tactical, rather than skill-related, outcome, this rule is rarely invoked, as a player will simply hit the ball directly on the third shot.
If the referee deems a player is taking too long to take the shot, the player may be warned. If the player continues to hesitate, the frame may be awarded to the other player at the discretion of the referee. In practice, a delay of over two minutes can result in such a forfeiture.
If the score is tied after the final black is potted, the black is “respotted” and the cue ball put “in hand”. The referee will then toss a coin, with the player winning the toss choosing who will take first strike at the black. Play then continues normally until the black is potted or another frame-ending situation occurs.

Maximum break:

The highest break that can be made under normal circumstances is 147. To achieve that, the player must pot all 15 reds, with the black after every red, followed by potting the six remaining colours. This “maximum break” of 147 rarely occurs in match play. The fastest maximum break in a tournament was achieved during the World Championships on April 21, 1997, by Ronnie O’Sullivan against Mick Price in 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

If an opponent fouls before any balls are potted, and leaves the player a free ball, the player can then nominate a colour and play it as a red ball. Then, black can be nominated as the next colour. This means it is actually possible to score the value of 16 reds and blacks (16 * 8), plus the values of all the colours (27), which equals 155 points scored. Under tournament condition, Jamie Burnett achieved 148 points.

The highest possible score, as distinct from the highest possible break, is unlimited and depends on the value of points scored from the opponent’s foul shots when added to the player’s own scored points (which may not require the highest break). However, the highest possible score from a single visit clearance is 162 (foul on the black, followed by a free ball treated as a red, as above).

Courtesy of Christina A few girlfriends introduced Christina to SeekingArrangement.com.

Americans owe more than $1.3 trillion to the federal government and private lenders for borrowing money to go to college. That’s more than two and a half times what they owed a decade ago, according to Pew , and it’s thanks to higher-than-ever enrollment numbers and rising college tuition costs .
“Some of [the Sugar Daddies] have that ‘white knight’ scenario where they really want to be helping somebody and saving them from their debt – or whatever you want to call it,” Germany said. The average annual income for Sugar Daddies who use SeekingArrangement.com is $250,000 and the average net worth is $1.5 million, she said, although those figures are self-reported.
Sugar Baby students get a SeekingArrangement.com premium account free of charge. A one-month membership typically costs $20 for Sugar Babies and $80 for Sugar Daddies and Mommas.

‘What are you looking for?’
To understand what one of these partnerships looks like, Business Insider spoke with Christina, a 29-year-old Sugar Baby who lives in Las Vegas.

Currently an online MBA student at Michigan State University, Christina turned to SeekingArrangement.com a few years ago for help with college costs after her uncle, who previously paid for her education, passed away.

“That was when it finally set in and I was looking at the prices and I was looking at how much debt I was getting in and I had already started my MBA,” said Christina, who received her first bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising, and at the time was in the middle of earning her second bachelor’s in political science and pre-law from Oakland University. “I was like, I can’t afford this, I’m going to be paying this off for years and years and years.”

Christina is a student, cocktail waitress, and atmosphere model.

Some girlfriends introduced Christina to SeekingArrangement.com and encouraged her to find a Sugar Daddy to foot the bill. With education as her priority, Christina thought she’d probably be different than the typical Sugar Baby who was after expensive gifts and cash, she said.
“One of the very first messages that pretty much everyone sends, on either side, is ‘What are you looking for?’ because we want to make sure we’re on the same page,” Christina explained.

Christina says she isn’t willing to have sex for money, though she knows some sugar babies who do.

“I’m not a person that is interested in one-night stands with people who are visiting Vegas for a couple days – that’s not interesting to me. If that’s what you’re going to come at me with, my response is going to be, thank you for the offer, but I’m going to pass,” she said.
“On my profile it specifically says, I’m going to school for this, this is what I’m looking for, I would like help paying for my school and my books,” Christina said. That’s the kind of straightforwardness and honesty that’s expected of all users on the site, she says.

Even so, there have been situations where Christina will agree to dinner under her terms and still get propositioned for sex. She’s learned “the site isn’t foolproof,” she says. “You have to stand your ground, you need to have a backbone.”

There are expensive gifts and free trips, too
Over the past couple of years, Christina says there have been three consistent Sugar Daddies in her life who have helped her pay for school.

The Sugar Daddies plan and pay for expensive weekend trips too.

The men, at least one of whom is married with children, will ask how much she owes for school and write her a check. In total, Christina estimates she’s been given “at least $90,000” from these men and others to pay for tuition, books, labs, and other education-related costs.
“People are more gracious and more willing to do more for you [when you aren’t demanding] … as opposed to someone who’s sitting there saying, this is what I’m expecting and if I get less than this I want nothing to do with you,” she said.

Christina has been given extra money after finals week so she can pamper herself and take care of her other bills, like insurance and rent. The Sugar Daddies also plan and pay for expensive weekend trips on a whim. But ultimately, Christina says she calls the shots.

“They know that school comes first to me,” she said. “If a trip is offered to me or something and I say I can’t because I have school, they back off right away.”

The stigma is the hardest part
Christina still has two semesters left before she completes her MBA, then she’s hoping to start law school. As of now, she doesn’t expect to stay on the site when she’s finally done with school, “but that could always change,” she says.

When she’s not busy with school, Christina works as a cocktail waitress and an atmosphere model, a type of model who is paid by wealthy partiers to sit at their VIP table at a nightclub or in their cabana by the pool.

“At the end of the day, it’s benefiting me, and it’s helping me and my future,” Christina said.

It’s another source of income, so she doesn’t have to fully rely on the money she gets from her Sugar Daddies. But the earnings – anywhere from $50 to $100 an hour for atmosphere modeling – pale in comparison to what she gets from Sugar Daddies.
“It was difficult at the beginning to be like, OK I’m getting handed this money for doing really nothing, I’m literally just going to dinner, it was difficult to understand at the beginning,” Christina said.

Now, she values the relationships she’s formed and is happy with the way she’s presented herself to Sugar Daddies, as someone who can have an intellectual dinner conversation and has goals she’s working toward.

“I’m fortunate enough to, hopefully when I’m completely finished with school, to say, I have no student loans, I have no debt at all, that is going to be the easiest part [of this experience] for me,” Christina said.

But as expected, the benefit to using SeekingArrangement.com hasn’t been as clear to the naysayers, including some of Christina’s friends and family.

“I’ve had to struggle with the negative attachment that comes along with being on the site, or saying that you have a Sugar Daddy, it’s difficult to have people hear a word and automatically think negative about you, but at the same time, I have to push that stuff out of my mind,” she continued.

“At the end of the day, it’s benefiting me and it’s helping me and my future, and people’s opinions aren’t going to benefit my future.”

If you are accepting, or have accepted, money from a Sugar Daddy to pay for college and would like to share your story, please email [email protected]

Millions of college students are so terrified of loans they’re turning to ‘Sugar Daddies’ for help paying for school

A growing number of students are turning to dating sites to find Sugar Daddies and Mommas for help with college costs.

Christina, a 29-year-old Sugar Baby and MBA student living in Las Vegas, talked to Business Insider about her experience.

She’s received over $90,000 for education-related costs, but says the stigma is the hardest part about being a Sugar Baby.

The student debt crisis in the US has gotten so bad, there’s a growing group of young women – and some men – who are taking an unconventional approach to paying for college.

Through dating websites like SeekingArrangement.com , Sugar Babies, as they’re called, partner up with wealthy, often older, men who want to spend money on them.
Some 2.5 million Sugar Babies identified as students in 2016 on SeekingArrangement.com. Many of these Sugar Babies turned to the site to find someone who will pay for their education so they can graduate debt, and worry, free.

In exchange, Sugar Babies go to dinners, attend events, or accompany their Sugar Daddy, or daddies, on trips. In some cases, they provide companionship or foster a mentor-mentee relationship. In other situations, the terms of the agreement include physical intimacy.

Welcome to Sugar Baby University
SeekingArrangement.com was founded by MIT graduate Brandon Wade in 2006 and now counts 10 million members worldwide, making it the biggest Sugar Baby and Sugar Daddy dating site on the web.

A couple years ago, the site noticed an uptick in the number of members signing up with a university email address, Alexis Germany, a spokesperson for SeekingArrangement.com, told Business Insider. It decided to launch a marketing campaign – dubbed Sugar Baby University – targeting indebted college students and young people who are interested in college but afraid of taking on massive loans.

Sophia (Robot)

Sophia is a humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. She has been designed to learn and adapt to human behavior and work with humans, and has been interviewed around the world. In October 2017, she became a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to receive citizenship of a country.

History

According to herself, Sophia was activated on April 19, 2015. She is modeled after actress Audrey Hepburn, and is known for her human-like appearance and behavior compared to previous robotic variants. According to the manufacturer, David Hanson, Sophia has artificial intelligence, visual data processing and facial recognition. Sophia also imitates human gestures and facial expressions and is able to answer certain questions and to make simple conversations on predefined topics (e.g. on the weather). The robot uses voice recognition technology from Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google) and is designed to get smarter over time. Sophia’s intelligence software is designed by SingularityNET. The AI program analyses conversations and extracts data that allows her to improve responses in the future. It is conceptually similar to the computer program ELIZA, which was one of the first attempts at simulating a human conversation.

Hanson designed Sophia to be a suitable companion for the elderly at nursing homes, or to help crowds at large events or parks. He hopes that she can ultimately interact with other humans sufficiently to gain social skills.

Events

Sophia has been interviewed in the same manner as a human, striking up conversations with hosts. Some replies have been nonsensical, while others have been impressive, such as lengthy discussions with Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes. In a piece for CNBC, when the interviewer expressed concerns about robot behavior, Sophia joked that he had “been reading too much Elon Musk. And watching too many Hollywood movies”. Musk tweeted that Sophia could watch The Godfather and suggested “what’s the worst that could happen?”

On October 11, 2017, Sophia was introduced to the United Nations with a brief conversation with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed. On October 25, at the Future Investment Summit in Riyadh, she was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship, becoming the first robot ever to have a nationality. This attracted controversy as some commentators wondered if this implied that Sophia could vote or marry, or whether a deliberate system shutdown could be considered murder. Social media users used Sophia’s citizenship to criticize Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. As explained by Ali Al-Ahmed, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, “Women (in Saudi Arabia) have since committed suicide because they couldn’t leave the house, and Sophia is running around without a male guardian]. Saudi law doesn’t allow non-Muslims to get citizenship. Did Sophia convert to Islam? What is the religion of this Sophia and why isn’t she wearing hijab? If she applied for citizenship as a human she wouldn’t get it.”

This lifelike robot could be straight out of ‘Westworld’ — and it really freaked us out

DAVOS, Switzerland — On display at a technology exposition just outside the gates of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos was an alarmingly lifelike robot.

Nicknamed “Sophia” by its creator David Hanson of Hanson Robotics, the robot was so realistic that it generated various visceral reactions from passersby ranging from awestruck to a little somewhat freaked out. We talked to Hanson about his creation, and asked about his purpose in designing lifelike robots that could soon be a part of our daily lives.

SophiaBot Asks You to be Nice So She Can Learn Human Compassion

The BBC recently sat down to interview Sophia, an incredible human-like robot created by Hanson Robotics. Sophia is the culmination of the latest advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The BBC recently sat down to interview Sophia, an incredible human-like robot created by Hanson Robotics. Sophia is the culmination of the latest advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence.
There have been some significant strides in robotics of late: for the first time, a robot performed surgery inside a human eye, Dubai has brought on a robot to its police force, and international teams are preparing for an upcoming giant robot battle royale. But all of this pales in comparison to the rapid rate at which robots are becoming more human-like. A video released by the BBC shows just how close we’re coming to Westworld level robots.

Humanoid Robot Argues That AI Technology Is ‘Good For The World’

A robot argued that the benefits of AI technology outweigh the concerns.

The main attraction at a UN-hosted conference in Geneva this week was Sophia, a humanoid robot who argued that the benefits of AI technology outweigh the concerns associated with the rise in AI technology.

“AI is good for the world, helping people in various ways,” reported Agence France-Presse, according to Phys.org. According to the source, it said that she tilted her head and furrowed her brow in an almost lifelike manner aside from the various cables coming out of the back of her head.

Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan FLIRTS with a robot called Sophia and asks her what kind of men she’s into before calling her ‘a little freak’

The presenters were tasked with interviewing a robot that Piers claims looks like Paris Hilton

VIEWERS were treated to one of the most bizarre interviews EVER on Good Morning Britain this morning.

A chillingly human-like android named Sophia and her maker, Dr David Hansom, appeared on screen for a grilling from Susanna and Piers.

For more information you can view the video and find other information on

Read about Sundar Pichai and his way to Google.

Pichai Sundararajan (born 12 July 1972), also known as Sundar Pichai, is an Indian American business executive.

Pichai is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Google Inc. Formerly the Product Chief of Google, Pichai’s current role was announced on 10 August 2015, as part of the restructuring process that made Alphabet Inc. into Google’s parent company, and he assumed the position on 2 October 2015.

Early life & Education

Pichai was born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Sundar Pichai’s mother Lakshmi was a stenographer and his father, Regunatha Pichai was an electrical engineer at GEC, the British Conglomerate. His father also had a manufacturing plant that produced electrical components. Sundar grew up in a two-room apartment in Ashok Nagar, Chennai.

Sundar completed schooling in Jawahar Vidyalaya, a Central Board of Secondary Education school in Ashok Nagar, Chennai and completed the Class XII from Vana Vani school in the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Pichai earned his degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in Metallurgical Engineering. He is currently a distinguished alumnus. He holds an M.S. from Stanford University in Material Sciences and Engineering, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a Siebel Scholar and a Palmer Scholar, respectively.

Career

Pichai worked in engineering and product management at Applied Materials and in management consulting at McKinsey & Company.

Pichai joined Google in 2004, where he led the product management and innovation efforts for a suite of Google’s client software products, including Google Chrome and Chrome OS, as well as being largely responsible for Google Drive. He went on to oversee the development of different applications such as Gmail and Google Maps. On 19 November 2009, Pichai gave a demonstration of Chrome OS; the Chromebook was released for trial and testing in 2011, and released to the public in 2012. On 20 May 2010, he announced the open-sourcing of the new video codec VP8 by Google and introduced the new video format, WebM.

On 13 March 2013, Pichai added Android to the list of Google products that he oversees. Android was formerly managed by Andy Rubin. He was a director of Jive Software from April 2011 to 30 July 2013. Pichai was selected to become the next CEO of Google on 10 August 2015 after previously being appointed Product Chief by CEO, Larry Page. On 24 October 2015 he stepped into the new position at the completion of the formation of Alphabet Inc., the new holding company for the Google company family.

Pichai had been suggested as a contender for Microsoft’s CEO in 2014, a position that was eventually given to Satya Nadella.

In August 2017, Pichai drew publicity for firing a Google employee who wrote a ten-page manifesto criticizing the company’s diversity policies and arguing that “distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and … these differences may explain why we don’t see equal representation of women in tech and leadership”. While noting that the manifesto raised a number of issues that are open to debate, Pichai said in a memo to Google employees that “to suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK”.

Personal life

Pichai is married to Anjali Pichai and has two children. Pichai’s interests include soccer and cricket. He is an avid fan of FC Barcelona and states that “he watches every game of the club”.

Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

The iPhone X display has rounded corners that follow a beautiful curved design and these corners are within a standard rectangle. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screen is 5.85 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).

O’Sullivan began the 2016/2017 season late, at the Shanghai Masters. In the first round, he defeated Liang Wenbo 5–4 after recovering from 1–4 down. It was his first professional tournament match in five months. However, this was as far as he progressed, as in the second round he lost by 2–5 to Michael Holt. Competing in the inaugural European Masters, O’Sullivan defeated David Gilbert 4–1 in the first round, Mark Allen 4–2 in the second round, Mark Davis 4–1 in the quarterfinals and then whitewashed Neil Robertson 6–0 in the semi-final. Facing Judd Trump in the final, O’Sullivan took a 5–3 lead after the first session. In the second session, O’Sullivan further led 8–6 before eventually losing 8–9. In the first of the Home Nations series of tournaments, at the inaugural English Open, O’Sullivan defeated Jimmy Robertson 4–0 in the first round, Zhao Xintong 4–3 in the second, but then lost to Chris Wakelin in the third by 3–4. At the International Championship, O’Sullivan beat Xiao Guodong 6–4 in the first round and Kurt Maflin 6–4 in the second to reach the last 16. However, he was then defeated by Michael Holt 4–6, making this the third consecutive loss to Holt in 2016.

O’Sullivan returned to action in the Champion of Champions. He won his group by defeating Robin Hull 4–2 in the first round and Martin Gould 6–2 in the second, and he then beat Mark Allen 6–2 in the semi-final with an impressive performance including three century breaks. O’Sullivan however could not reproduce the same form in the final and lost 7–10 to John Higgins. At the inaugural Northern Ireland Open, O’Sullivan defeated David John 4–1 in the first round, Jimmy White 4–1 in the second, and Zhang Anda 4–0 in the third. Kyren Wilson then edged out O’Sullivan 3–4 in the fourth round after O’Sullivan had staged a comeback with three consecutive century breaks after going 0–3 behind.

At the UK Championship, O’Sullivan produced dominant displays in the opening rounds defeating Boonyarit Keattikun 6–0 in the first, Rhys Clark 6–0 in the second and Michael Georgiou 6–1 in the third. He then beat Matthew Stevens 6–2 in the fourth round, Mark Williams 6–2 in the quarter-finals, and Marco Fu 6–5 in a tense semi-final, winning the deciding frame with a decisive break of 130. In the final, O’Sullivan played Mark Selby. In the first session after O’Sullivan went 2–1 up, Selby took advantage of errors by O’Sullivan to win 5 straight frames. However, in a high quality second session, O’Sullivan fought back to close to within one frame at 7–8, but Selby prevailed winning the next two frames and the title 7–10. In the last six frames of the match, a total of 5 century breaks were made, 2 by O’Sullivan of 134 and 130. This defeat marked the first time O’Sullivan had lost in a UK Championship final and the third consecutive defeat in a major final in this season.

O’Sullivan ended 2016 at the Scottish Open. He defeated Matthew Selt 4–2 in the first round, Adam Stefanow 4–1 in the second, Jimmy White 4–2 in the third and Mark Allen 4–2 in the last 16. He was then beaten 2–5 by John Higgins in the quarter-finals.

In the new year, O’Sullivan returned to the Masters as the defending champion. He defeated Liang Wenbo 6–5 in a dramatic first-round match. In the tenth frame, Liang missed the final black in a clearance which would have given him victory. After potting the black, O’Sullivan went on to produce a break of 121 in the deciding frame to win the match. O’Sullivan then beat Neil Robertson 6–3 in the quarter-finals, and Marco Fu 6–4 in the semi-finals to reach his twelfth Masters final despite problems with his cue tip. In the final, he defeated Joe Perry 10–7 to win his seventh Masters title, setting the record for the most number of title wins at the tournament. After the tournament, O’Sullivan received a disciplinary letter from World Snooker over comments he made to the press after his match with Fu. He criticised referee Terry Camilleri’s performance and a photographer during post-match interviews. This led to O’Sullivan stating that he would no longer give in-depth answers in interviews or press conferences, claiming “when I share my thoughts, I risk being fined”.

At the German Masters, O’Sullivan lost 4–5 to Mark King in the last 32 despite leading 4–1. O’Sullivan entered the World Grand Prix seeded fifth on the one-year ranking list. He defeated Yan Bingtao 4–2 in the first round, but lost 1–4 to Neil Robertson in the second. In the final event of the Home Nations series, the Welsh Open, O’Sullivan progressed past Tom Ford 4–1 in the first round. His defence was then ended early by Mark Davis, who beat him 3–4 in the second round after O’Sullivan had led 3–0.

O’Sullivan entered the Players Championship seeded 7th on the one-year ranking list. He defeated Liang Wenbo 5–1 in the first round, but was defeated 3−5 by Judd Trump in the quarter-finals. At the China Open, O’Sullivan defeated Gareth Allen 5−0 in the first round, but was then upset 4−5 by Mark Joyce in the second.

On the eve of the World Championships, O’Sullivan attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the Crucible Theatre holding the World Snooker Championship as a past champion. O’Sullivan then faced debutant Gary Wilson in the first round. He won five of the first six frames before Wilson fought back by winning three consecutive frames to trail by only 5−4 at the end of the first session. In a high scoring second session, O’Sullivan went on to defeat Wilson 10−7 and celebrated by repeatedly punching the air. Speaking to the media at length for the first time since the Masters, O’Sullivan attacked the WPBSA during his post-match press conference for using “threatening” language in communications with him and said he would no longer be “bullied” by the governing body in future. Jason Ferguson, chairman of the WPBSA, and Barry Hearn, chairman of World Snooker, denied the allegations. Past champions John Higgins and Stuart Bingham backed O’Sullivan with Higgins expressing “sympathy” for him and Bingham saying “he had a point”. However, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy claimed that O’Sullivan’s comments were “completely wrong”. This added further intrigue ahead of the second round clash of O’Sullivan and Murphy. O’Sullivan later issued a statement saying he would “not be making any further comment” during the Championships and would instead focus on his “quest for a sixth world title”.

During his second round match, O’Sullivan opened up a four frame advantage over Murphy in the first session to lead 6−2. In the second session, O’Sullivan maintained his advantage to lead 10−6 going into the final session. The third session saw no comeback from Murphy and O’Sullivan progressed to the quarter-finals 13−7. The quarter-finals would be the furthest O’Sullivan would progress, as he fell behind Ding Junhui 6–10 after the opening two sessions. Despite scoring the tournament’s highest break with a 146 in the final session, he would eventually lose 10–13. Following his loss, O’Sullivan stated that he had no intention of retiring.

2017/2018 season: English Open title
Hong Kong Masters: O’Sullivan was also one of eight “elite” players invited to play in the inaugural Hong Kong Masters. O’Sullivan reached the final, having narrowly beaten John Higgins by 5–4 in the quarter-finals and Judd Trump by 6–5 in the semi-finals, despite needing a snooker in the deciding frame of his match with Trump. In the final, O’Sullivan faced Neil Robertson and was defeated 3–6, despite scoring the highest break of the tournament with a run of 143 in the fifth frame. As part of the British quintet of himself, Mark Williams, Graeme Dott, Joe Perry and Michael Holt; O’Sullivan captained Great Britain to victory in the CVB Snooker Challenge team event, beating China 26–9 by aggregate score.

China Championship: O’Sullivan entered only one of the first six ranking tournaments of the season, the China Championship. He reached the quarter-finals with victories over Sam Baird and David Gilbert before recording a 5–0 whitewash of Graeme Dott in the last 16. He lost to the eventual champion Luca Brecel 4–5 succumbing to a succession of breaks after leading 4–1.

In the lead up to the English Open, O’Sullivan qualified for the International Championship and the Shanghai Masters by whitewashing Gerard Greene 6–0 and Christopher Keogan 5–0 respectively.

English Open: O’Sullivan competed in the first of the four Home Nations events, the English Open. In the First Round, O’Sullivan defeated Zhang Anda 4–1. He won despite injuring his ankle prior to the match, and was forced to play in trainers in violation of the player’s dress code. World Snooker later gave O’Sullivan permission to wear trainers for the rest of the Open. In the Second Round, O’Sullivan beat Mark Davis 4–1, compiling back-to-back century breaks of 136 and 134 in the last two frames of the match. In the Third Round, he continued his good form, winning 4–1 against Zhang Yong. O’Sullivan compiled three centuries during the Third Round match. The match was interrupted at the end of the final frame by a female spectator running around the table. Despite the distraction, O’Sullivan continued playing and potted the pink ball for a break of 129 before he offered his cue to the spectator so she could take his last shot (where she missed twice) before being led away by security. In the Last Sixteen match, O’Sullivan trailed John Higgins 0–1, 1–2, and 2–3 before triumphing in the decider and winning 4–3. In the Quarterfinals O’Sullivan beat Jack Lisowski 5–2. In the Semifinals O’Sullivan scored a 6–4 victory over Anthony McGill to reach the Final. In the Final, O’Sullivan defeated Kyren Wilson 9–2 for his 29th ranking title. During the Final match he compiled four centuries and had a pot success of 98%, missing only a total of 6 balls during the 11 frames played. Altogether, O’Sullivan compiled 12 centuries during the tournament, more than any other competitor. This was O’Sullivan’s first victory in a ranking event in more than 20 months.

eZee is one of the rare companies to offer the complete range of integrated solutions exclusively for the hospitality industry. We offer internationally recognized, high-quality products that meet every requirement of hotels and restaurants. Using the latest technology we provide regular enhancements and customization to all eZee systems. Our offerings include everything from Desktop and Cloud based Hotel Management Solution to Channel Manager, Booking Engine and Restaurant Management Solution.

Superb User Experience

Aiming for the best user-experience and streamline property operations, all eZee solutions are seamlessly integrated to meet every requirement of hotels and restaurants. The extremely scalable option of 3rd party integration enables the seamless exchange of information between eZee software and 3rd party solutions.

Value For Money

Giving you the best value for the money, all our products integrated as well as stand-alone solutions are tried, tested, and come with the highest recommendation for performance and stability from clients in more than 140 countries.

Keeping Up With Latest Technology

Our products have evolved over time, adapting to new technologies. We started our flagship product in Visual Basic, we changed to VB.Net and now the third generation of our software is cloud based on the web. Thus, we have passed through all the cycles of development, whereby we overcome all the flaws and limitation with new upgrades

24×7 Live Technical Support

eZee Support is the first point of contact for many and our support team is at your service 24 hours a day. Along with troubleshooting software queries, onboarding and training, our team also provides client requested enhancements and upgrades. They are available via live chat, email and phone.

Unlimited Online Training

We provide online one on one training, where eZee’s training team will assist you with product implementation and training as well as address all your queries and assist you to enhance your business using eZee’s cutting edge solutions.
Change in your staff? We have options to get your new staff trained from us through online training sessions.

Free Trial Available- No Risk, No Commitment

Analyze eZee solutions with your live property environment without any limitation on features or modules. You are eligible to take online product training at no charge.

Client Success Plan

Special audits from our team on request to make sure that your staff is using every bit of what is available. Our job is not over once the product is sold; we make sure that you are getting the best performance from our software and achieve the highest efficiency in your operations.

Constant Efforts Towards Innovation

The majority of the corporations set aside a huge chunk of their revenues into their marketing and sales. At eZee, our efforts are driven towards research and development of new solutions or the enhancements of the existing solutions.

An awesome team to back you up!

The greatest strength comes from our young and dynamic team who are spread across regional and international offices around the globe. When you are backed by a team of 140+ eZee-ites and 100+ Channel Partners you can be sure that you are always in safe hands.

Great Recommendations

We have been rated 3A by Crisil, the highest rating in terms of company’s stability. Crisil is a part of Standard & Poors rating agency which is probably world’s No.1 corporate rating agency.

Our vision is clear to become the global leader in offering the top-notch solution to the hospitality industry. Along with providing robust solutions, each member of team eZee is dedicated to providing our clients the best service available.

Petting a Dog lowers Blood Pressure and Heart Rate. Every individual should have a pet of their own. Petting a dog helps you to have good sleep in night. It also lowers/reduce the dieseses like Cholestrol and more likely to survive a hear attack. You get less sick or there are less chances of getting sick when you pet a dog.

They get you moving: Walking your dog and engaging in outdoors activities like tossing a Frisbee gives you a natural energy boost, and allows you to let off steam. It also makes you more physically fit, strengthening your muscles and bones, which helps not only your body, but also your self-esteem. Studies have shown that animal owners, both adults and children, have lower blood pressure, as well as lower cholesterol and triglycerides, which may be in part attributed to the more active lifestyle pets promote. Pet owners also have been noted to have better circulation, and a lower risk of experiencing major cardiac issues. And when your body feels stronger, you are less susceptible to mental health issues.

You’ll have better heart health. It improves social life, you’ll be happier, you get to exercise (take a dog for a walk or run). You will be less stressfull at work. Petting dogs helps mental health, build immunity, lessen problems like asthama or allergies. They can make you smile and stay happier and they can also helps to lessen isolation.

There are other petting benefits which you get such as when you take your pet out for a walk, Sun and fresh air elevate your mood and the sun gives you an extra dose of vitamin D. Vitamin D exposure helps fight physical and mental conditions, including depression, cancer, obesity, and heart attacks. Also, when you go outside with your pet, you are engaging with nature. Try taking a moment to listen to the trees rustling, feel the wind rushing past, and the sun upon your face. The sounds and feeling of nature can be incredibly calming.

In short petting a dog is necessary as other things are neccessary like money.

So go have some fun with your pooch or feline friend! Have a ball, with a ball, or anything else, and you will both benefit from the pleasurable together time.

And if you don’t have a pet or can’t get one right now, you can volunteer at a shelter. There are many animals that can still benefit from your love, and you will feel the benefits, too.